Centrifugal gun.



1. r. HovvlE.

CENTRIFUGAL GUN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31.1916.

Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET] w M f l. F. HOWIE.

CENTRIFUGAL GUN.

APPLICATION FILED IULY3l. 1916.

m2355970 Y Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/m/en for James .FT H@ Wfe l. F. HOWIE.

CENTRIFUGAL GUN.

APPLICATION FILED JU'LY 3l. l9l6. 1,235,897 Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

4 SHEETS--SHEEI' 3.

JAMES F. HOWIE, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

CENTRIFUGAL GUN.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented aug. maar?.

.application led July 31, 1916. Serial No. 112,202.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. Howiii, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Seattle, county of King, State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Guns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices designed for the discharge of projectiles, employing as the motive agent centrifugal force. While the device employs no explosive for the discharge of the projectiles, it may presumably be correctly referred to as a centrifugal gun.

The object of my invention is to produce a device which may be employed for the discharge of projectiles at a high rate of speed within moderate distances without the use of explosives and the noise produced by the same.

My invention comprises certain novel features and constructions which are shown in the drawings and which will be described in the specification and then particularly pointed out in the claims. l

ln the accompanyingfdr'awings l have shown the form of construction of my device which is now most preferred by me, although aware that the same features may be employed in constructions didering considerably inappearances from those illustrated andl described herein.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the device,the projecting disk and the ring in which Ait is mounted being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device taken from a point of view at right angles to that of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 4 shows in plan view, partly in section and partly broken away, a portion of theA projecting disk and the guiding ring therefor. Y

My device operates on the principle of giving a projectile a high rotative speed and then discharging it, the direction of the discharge being controlled in such a way as to make it possible to use the device as a means for discharging a projectile at certain objects. 1t is well known lthat if aff body vbe released from the periphery of ga rapidly rotating disk or wheel it will be discharged some distance.

Distances of this discharge will depend upon the veloci-ty of rotation of the wheel, as well as the direction of the discharge with. relation to the horizontal. lt is possib le, to mechanically produce, within the limits of the strength of materials avail-4"" able, such velocityof discharge as will secure a range of oneto two miles or evenv very muchmore. lt is qnot intended that the present invention shall supplant long range guns, but it is contemplated that it shall be used for more moderate ranges in which the rapidity of its discharge and 'the cheapness of operation will give it material advantages for certain special uses.

I have herein shown my device as mounted upon a base or frame, 1, which has legs 10V extending upward therefrom and carrying, at their upperends, a ring 12. Upon this base is mounted a yoke frame 2, which also has a ring-like, circular base 24, `which preferably lits over the upper ring 12 of the base. lThese two parts are mounted to turn freely upon each other, as by means of balls 21, which run in grooves in the face of the two members. rThe yoke frame 2 has two arms 20 extending upward and provided with bearings for the reception of journals A41, of a guide ring 4. The guide ring 4 is 'provided with an inwardly facing groove.

tol

40, of semi-circular cross section and is provided with a projectile@ discharge guide or pipe 42, placed tangential to the ring 4. rllhe guiding groove 40 is intended to closely fit and receive the projectile and the tube 42 serves as thedireting tube, correspond ing in function with" the barrelof a lt is preferred that both the walls of the groove 40 and theJ inner surface of the projectile guiding groove 42 be ried, asshown by theriiing 44 in Fig. 4.

The ring 4 has a web '45 extending acrossv the same, the central portion thereof lbeing provided with grooves for thereception of balls 43, which balls. also it within a sup.

plemental groove formed in the underside of the under plate of theiotative disk 5,

thereby providing a ballbearing upon whichl the vdiskmayrotate. rllhe projecting disk 5 is composed of two plates having their faces secured together. These .disks turn concentrically within the ring 4. They are secured to the stub shaft 80, which shaft is" secured vby means of 'a universal coupling 8, with a shaft 3 which is journaled in a bearing 22 of the yoke 2, and any suitable other bearings in the frame 1.

The shaft 3 extends vertically. rlllhis shaft is driven in any suitable and convenient manner.' The driving means herein shown,

i'io l consists of an electric motor 32 having its shaft 31 journaled in bearings 11, carried by the frame or base and having driving connection with the vertical shaft 3 by means of the spiral gears 30 and 33. Any other convenient means for rotating the shaft 3, which is found suitable, may be employed.

The compound disk 5 is provided with one' or more projectile feeding channels, 50, extending from a point adjacent its rotating axis, to its outer edge. rlhe bullets which are to be thrown by this machine, are fed into the openings 52 of these channels, which lie adjacent to thel rotating axis. These channels extend outwardly, preferably, in a curved shape, as is illustrated in Fig. 3. At their outer ends they open at the periphery of the disk, this being just within and alined with the groove 4() of ring 4.

At the outer ends of the supply channel 50, ledges 51 are provided, so placed as to engage the rear end of the projectile' 72, when' it reaches its outermost position. This ledge provides the means whereby the projectile is made to move at the speed of the periphery of the wheel. When the bllet reaches the beginning of the straightdischarge tube 42, it is at this time moving in .a tangential direction. lt will thus, at this time, escape from the restraint imposed by the guide ring 4 and will thus be dischargedy from the tube 42.

lt is very desirable that any device revolvingl at the high rate of speed which would be required in order to discharge a projectile to a considerable distance, be maintained in as perfect a balance as possible. 'lo secure this result it is desirable that the projectile feeding or supply channels be provided in pairs, located directly opposite to each other. 1n the drawings l have shown two such guide channels in the rotative projecting disk. y

rlhe ring 4 is provided with a handle 25 by which it may be rocked upon its trunnions or pivots 41. rlhis gives theprojectiles a greater or less elevation when discharged. One end of the yoke 20 is provided with a handle 23 whereby the yoke, together with the rotative disk carried thereby, may be turned 'about their vertical axes, thus varying the direction in which the projectiles are being discharged.

Upon the ring 4, in suitable position for the use of the operator, is mounted a bar 6 which extends from the rotative disk,-

upon which bar is mounted a telescope 60 or any other desired type of aiming apparatus. l

A truss or arm 7, extends across the ma chine and is supported from the ring 4. At a point slightly to one side` of the center of rotation, a\p`ocket or case 73 is provided for the reception of the projectiles 72. These projectiles may be placed in this reminute.

Leanser ceptacle one at a time, or by the insertion of a' clip 71 which contains a number of projectiles properly arranged therein. rlhe lower end of the projectile receiving case 7 3, extends down fairly close to the upper surface of the rotating projecting disk at its lower end. It is so curved that the projectiles cannot drop out by straight downward movement. @ne side, however, is open in such a manner that the projectiles may be removed by a movement in the direction of the axis of the projectile.

'lhe rotative disk has a linger 53, preferably projecting laterally ljust back of each of the openings 52, through which the projectiles are placed in the feed channel 50. A shield 55 is placed just outside the opening 52, to prevent the projectile frombeing thrown outward before it enters the opening. rllhe relation of thesev parts is such that as the disk revolves the lingers 53' each time .engage the lowermost projectile in the casing and push it out through the opposite edge Vof the casing where it drops into the hole y52 and is then caused, by the centrifugal effect given thereto, to slide outwardly through the guideway 50. The projectile passes through this guideway, and as it reaches the outer end of the guideway it contacts with the groove 40 of ring 4. To assist in starting the projectile downward into the openin 52, l may provide a xed deilector plate 4 vat the point of delivery, inclined slightly downward. This plate engages the projectile as it leaves the case 73, and starts it downward into the opening 52.

As soon as it reaches this point, the tip or front end of the projectile is freed and is allowed to swing outwardly into a close fit in the groove 40 in said ring. ln consequence,l the bullet will be carried along until it reaches the inner end of the barrel or tube 42, whereupon the projectile will follow the tangential course which extends through/this barrel instead of continuing in the circular direction.

llt is contemplated to rotate the projecting disk at as high rate of speed as the strength of material composing the same will permit. lt is believed that this will permit a speed of three thousand revolutions per At this rate of speed with a disk of any size, the centrifugal force of a body leavingthe periphery of the disk will be suliicient to cause it to travel a great many miles. i The discharge of a gun of this kind will produce no explosion and requires no gunpowder. It merely requires a sullicient supply of power to maintain the disk turning at a suliiciently high rate of speed.

What li claim as my invention is: 1. In a centrifugal gun, in combination,

j a revoluble disk having a projectile supply to said groove, the revolving disk having its edge extending well into the said groove and having ashoulder at the outer end of its projectile supply channel to engagethe rear end of the bullet, a fixedfeed chute over the inner end of the projectile supply channel, and a finger or projection carried by the revolving disk to engage andremove the lowerrnost projectile from said chute.

2. In a centrifugalgun, in combination, a stand, a yoke having upwardly projecting arms and mounted to turn upon the stand about a vertical axis, a ring having ahorizontal axis pivot bearing upon said yoke and having an inwardly facing groove of semi-circular cross section and a discharging tube extending Atangentially therefrom, a disk rotatably mountedwithin said ring and having a projectile feeding channel eX- tending from near its center to its outer edge, the disk having a shoulder at the back side of the outer end of said channel adapted to engage the rear end of the projectile.

3. In a centrifugal gun, in combination,

a stand, a yoke having a turntable bearing from near its axis outwardly,

upon the stand, a ring pivoted by a horizontal and diametrical axis in the ends of the yoke, and having an inwardly facing.,

projectile-guiding groove and a tangential 'discharge channel, a disk' mounted to vror tate concentrically within the ring and hav'- ing projectile feeding grooves extending. from adjacent its axis -to its outer edge, a

drive shaft vertically journaledy in the yokev concentric with the axis thereof, and a universal coupling connecting' said shaft with the projecting disk.

4. .In a centrifugal gun, a revoluble projector having. a projectile .guideextending a projectile feed having its discharge registering withf the receiving end-of' the guide of the' revoluble projector, a projectile feeding finger carried l by the revoluble l projector and adapted to remove a projectile from the feed device, and a deiector adapted toengage Y I feed device to de e'ct it downward into the guide of the projector.

Signed at Seattle, Washington,

day of uly,1916. v

-JAMES F. HOWIEL the projectile upon removal fromthethis 21st' 

